French mystery
by StreetwizZard
Summary: Clara and the Doctor travel to Renaissance France and discover a series of disappearances. Together they take the case, meetung friends and foes alike along the way. One-shot


The morning sunlight seeps in dimly through the half drawn curtains, softened by the early fog. An alarm sounds piercingly through the morning silence, accompanied by a pounding on the bedroom door.

" Clara! Wake up already, we're going to be late for school! " a girl's voice calls. When she stopped talking, the banging resumed.

Clara cracked her eyes open and was welcomed by the light.

" Clara! " the girl called again.

Clara focuses her sleepy eyes on the clock that sat across the room, it displayed 8:00 in neon blue numbers. After seeing the time she finally acknowledges the alarm sounding throughout the room. " Oh no, " she sighed, jumping out of bed and making her way to the door,

" Clara! For goodness sakes, get up! " the girl calls once more.

" I'm up, " Clara responds, swinging the bedroom door open.

" You are going to make us late, again, " the girl says, rolling her eyes.

" No I won't, " Clara says.

" You said that last time, " the girl responds.

" And while were standing here chatting you're making me more late, Juliet . Look i'll be down in two minutes, you can go start the car if you want, " Clara says.

" Okay, " Juliet says. She turns around and walks down the stairs to the kitchen.

Clara closes the door and rushes to her closet, grabbing clothes and throwing them on in a hurry. She opens the door once more and runs down the stairs, she slides through the kitchen on her socks grabbing her keys and coat while she zips by. She pulls on her boots and runs out the front door.

" Took you long enough, " Juliet says irritably from the passenger seat.

" This is the third time the month Clara, " her brother whines from the backseat.

" Yes Elliot, I know. And im sorry, it won't happen again I promise. " Clara replies.

" You said that last time, " Elliot mumbles and Clara backs out of the driveway.

The car rolls up to the curb at a screeching halt outside of the school.

" See? Not late, " Clara says with a smile. The sound of the first bell ringing reaches the car and her smile turns into a nervous grin as she looks at the kids. They scramble out of the car without a goodbye and rush into the school building.

As they leave Clara sighs and tiredly rests her head against the steering wheel. She sits up straight and combs out her messy brown hair in the rearview mirror. She pushes her bangs out of her eyes. She tiredly blinks and puts the car back into drive. She looks in her mirror once more to check for oncoming vehicles. Instead of seeing cars her eyes focus on a small blue box far off in the distance.

" No way, " she gasps, putting the car in park. She scrambles out of the car and turns around, to see the box through a different lens. The morning chill hits her and she reaches back into the car to grab her coat. She closes the car door and starts walking toward the object, slipping her coat on as she walks. As she gets closer, her walk turns into a jog, then into a run. She stops suddenly, directly in front of the blue box. The distant blue now shining brilliantly against the morning fog. The words " Police Public Call Box " stood boldy on the face of the box. Clara runs her hands softly down the painted wooden door. She grasps the handles and a smirk forms on her face. She pulls on the handles and instead of the doors opening like they should, they remained insistently stuck shut. She frowns and shakes the handles, trying to force the doors to come open.

" Oh come on, " she whines as she shakes the handles harder. She steps back from the box and surveys the area around her.

" It's never easy with you, is it? " she asks to the air, smiling as she steps off the curb. She begins walking in the direction away from the school, towards the heart of the city, searching for the owner of the bright blue box.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-Deep in the city, noise and commotion filled the air, forming a current of motion that flowed through the streets. Clara walked along these streets, quickly getting lost due to the push of the current.

" Where are you? " she wondered aloud. She sits on a nearby bench posted on the sidewalk, pressed up against a tall, looming building. The objective of her search disappears as fast as the cars zooming by in front of her. The sound of honking and screeching brakes assisted to the rush hour chaos. So consumed by the activity, she hardly noticed a man who accompanied her on the bench until he ruffled the newspaper in his hands. It was pressed tightly to his face and his arms were all scrunched up, bringing the paper closer. Reading the thing would certainly be impressive.

" Sorry, I didn't realize you were sitting here, " Clara says to the man.

" Shh. " he replies abruptly.

" Excuse me? " Clara responds, slightly shocked at his response.

" Shh, " he repeats, lowering the newspaper from in front of his face. He makes eye contact with Clara and pulls it up once again.

" What are you doing? " she asks in a loud whisper, a smile tugging at her lips.

Suddenly, he bursts off the bench, tossing the paper as he stands. " Nothing, " he responds. He turned and began to walk in the opposite direction.

Clara grins, jumps off the bench, and jogs over to him.

" I don't believe you. You're never doing nothing. " Clara says as she catches up to the man.

" I assure you, this time, I have done absolutely nothing, " he responds, followed by the sound of sirens rushing past.

He grins and continues walking.

" Doctor! " Clara laughs, and chases after him once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, where to today? " The Doctor asks, opening the doors to the Tardis.

" Why don't you fill me in on what you've been up to first? " Clara says, following him into the now open doors of the blue box, pulling them closed as she enters. She stops in the entrance, still fascinated by the science of the machine and its ability to be much,much larger on the inside.

" The year 3054? The first olympic games? The planet Keziah Prime, home of the giant carnivorous trees? Actually, maybe not that one. " he rambles, ignoring Clara's question.

" Carnivorous trees? " She asks, following him around the circular console in the center of the room as he presses buttons and flips switches up and down, sometimes the same switch up and down multiple times.

" What about France? The height of the Renaissance? Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Shakespeare, " he asks.

She smiles in response, grasping a lever above her head. He laughs, grabbing the same lever. Together they pull the lever down, initiating the usual bumpy take off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" Is this really France? " Clara asks, skeptical. She opens the doors of the Tardis to a small quiet street, haphazardly built houses lining the road. A small cobblestone wall bordered the edges of the town.

" Of course it is, Clara, " The Doctor responds mockingly.

She bit her lip in giddy frustration and turned to her left, spotting a small stack of papers set outside a nearby shop. She walked over and grabbed one. When she returned, The doctor was still in the Tardis.

" Well, according to this, " she yells through the Tardis doors. " Were in Italy, 1450. "

" I was close enough, " he says, poking his head out of the doors. He scanned the area around him, his eyes eventually locking on something far off. He jumps out of the Tardis dramatically, and takes off in that direction, Clara close behind.

They arrive at a tall wall, plastered in papers, all depicting a mission person.

" What happened? " Clara asks, scanning the wall.

" They've all disappeared this week, they are all around the same age, and they are all women. So someone is clearly doing this for a reason. But who? " The Doctor says, thinking aloud.

" Why would someone do this though. It's horrible, " Clara says.

" I don't know, " The Doctor responds. " But my theory is, if we find one of them, then we will find all of them. "

" Alright, what do we need to do? " Clara asks.

" Why don't we start here? " he says, pointing to a flyer. " Alice. Last seen, 34 Serra Marina."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two walk down the tightly woven streets, the sky framed by the roofs of the houses.

" Ah, here we are, ̈ The Doctor says, looking back and forth between the flyer.

They stride down the pathway to the front door of the house before them. Once at the door, Clara grasps the large metal knocker on the door and bangs it lightly. The two step back, waiting for an answer. After a while, nobody answers. The Doctor walks forward to one of the front windows, peeking inside.

" Excuse me? Can I help you? ̈ ̈ a woman asks from behind.

Clara and the Doctor spin around to face the stranger behind them.

" Hi, yes you can, " The doctor responds, walking towards the woman. " We're looking for the woman who lives here, Alice, or any acquaintances of hers.

" She's been away, " the woman replies curtly.

" Yes, we are aware, " he says softly, revealing the missing poster in his hands. She takes the poster out of his hands and examines it for a bit.

" Who are you? " she asks, handing the poster back.

The Doctor pulls his wallet out in response, flipping it open to show her the bit of psychic paper stuck on the inside, showing the reader what they want or need to see.

" Police? " she laughs, " youre not police. "

" No, but you want us to be, " he replies, sticking the wallet back in his pocket.

" Why can't we be police? " Clara interjects.

" Police would never bother themselves to come down to the slums. They are too involved with the higher classes. Setting foot on this street would be a sin to them, " she says.

" Okay you got us, not police. But we are here to help. I'm the Doctor and this is Clara," The Doctor says.

" Why? " she asks, distrustfully.

" Why not, passing by, thought id help. But that's not the question is it? The question is, who are you and how can you help us? Im guessing you know Alice since you confronted us at her house while I was poking around in her yard. " The doctor responds.

She is silent for a minute.

" Emma, and yes. Alice is my friend, she disappeared a few days ago, just like the others. Nobody seems to care but It feels wrong to just let it go unchecked. I've been making the flyers and posting them around hoping that somebody would figure out something, " Emma replies.

" Okay Emma. Where was the last place you saw her before she disappeared? " Clara asks her.

" She was heading to the east market last I saw her. That was three days ago, " she responds.

" To the market then, " The Doctor says.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" Excuse me, have you seen this woman? She was here about three days ago. No? That's okay, " The doctor asks, pushing the flyer in every passing strangers face. He eventually fades into the crowd, pushing further and further ahead, leaving Clara and Emma behind.

" What do you think has happened to them? " Emma asks, looking to Clara.

" Honestly, I don't know, " she starts. " But the Doctor always figures it out. That's what he does. He solves problems and saves people. "

" What do you do? " Emma asks.

" I travel with him, help him out wherever I can. He acts like he can do it all by himself, and most of the time I really believe that. But whether he admits to it or not, he does need some help here or there. But no matter what, we always figure it out. " Clara says, looking to Emma with a smile.

The two walk side by side, down the crowded street. The sounds of merchants and townsfolk blended together, creating a constant white-noise filling the background.

" Wait what? You have?! " The Doctor yelled excitedly, causing a slight cessation of the constant noise. The two picked up their pace and jogged over to the Doctor, who was talking to an old merchant. His booth propped up against a wall. Cloths and ribbons and threads scattered amongst his wooden table were held down by weights to prevent the breeze from sending them flying away. A shade propped over the stall was covered with more fabrics, tied to the support beam, swaying in the wind. Sacks of supplies were piled up behind the stall, creating a sort of wall between his space and others.

" Yeah I saw 'er alright. Most beautiful little lady I ever seen. How could I forget, " he laughs. He wore thin scraggly clothes that matched his patchy grey beard. He wore a brown cap and his face was wrinkled with laughter.

" Do you know where she went? Or who she went with? " The Doctor asked the man.

" She ran into this other woman, really posh and rich lookin', no idea what she was doin' 'ere. She's been 'ere a lot now that Im thinkin' 'bout it. Moved here bout two weeks ago. Been snatchin' away all the pretty ones round 'ere. Anyways,they started talkin' and after awhile they walked away together. Prolly went up to that big ol' run down estate over on the coast. Maybe the rich lady needs maids or somethin, I wouldn't know. But boy, i'd love to go to one of her dinner parties!, " The old man says, laughing at his last thought.

" Old estate on the coast with a strange newcomer? Got it, thanks, " The Doctor says, darting off to exit the market.

" Thank you, " Clara says kindly, grabbing Emma's hand and running off after The Doctor.

" Doctor! Wait! " Emma calls after him.

He skids to a halt, nearly running down a passing couple.

" What? " he asks.

" You're going the wrong way, " she laughs.

" I knew that, " he says, frowning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Together they walked across the town to the coast line. As they moved further away from the town, the gentle push and pull of the waves gradually turned into a roaring crash. The bright and cloudless sky began to fog and darken. The wind shifted from a cool breeze to a harsh wind. The bright plants littering the ground began to wilt and wither, soon turning to dirt and gravel.

Clara clutched the coat that hung around her arms, suddenly grateful that she had brought it along. They arrived at the estate, blocked by a large black gate, accessorized with sharp stakes at the top and a thick lock and chain that hung bound the two frames together. The Doctor walked up to the gate and pulled a small device out of his pocket. He turned it on and it emitted a strange, high-pitched pulsing noise. Shortly after, the lock burst open and clattered to the ground. It gave an echoing creak as he pushed it open to allow his two companions in, and it creaked even louder as he shut it behind them.

They continued forwards on the path to the front door, noting the dramatic change in the atmosphere around them. They arrived at the steps that lead up to the entrance. The steps were cold and hard, marbled to a cool perfection. The pitch black door complimented the cool grey building that rose up around it. An icy metallic knocker hung solidly on the center of the door. The Doctor looked to the women behind him nervously, then reached out to knock on the door. He knocked three times adne ach knoch seemed to echo throughout the courtyard behind them, but never entering the house itself. The group took a wary step back, waiting for the fateful door to open.

Finally the door opened revealing a woman dressed in a plain, pearl white gown, surrounded by a never ending darkness that continued within the rest of the house. There seemed to be no lights at all.

" Hello- " The Doctor started.

" I'm sorry. Ms. Allegra is not available at the moment. Please come again at another time, " The woman said with a noble accent, devoid of any emotion.

" Alice! " Emma cried. " Oh my goodness, you're okay! I just knew we would find you! Oh I- ̈

" I'm sorry. Ms. Allegra is not available at the moment. Please come again at another time, " Alice said, unresponsive to Emmas sudden outburst. Her eyes were cold and didn't acknowledge the people in front of her. She closed the door before the group could respond.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inside, Alice walked silently through the dark house. She walked down a small flight of stairs and into a twisting hallway that eventually lead to a large room, lit by large windows that scattered the walls, the only furniture was a large throne, which was placed at the very end. In the throne sat a tall, thin woman. Her hair was long and sleek black, and her eyes resembled those of a shark.

" Ms. Allegra, I'm afraid you have visitors. I sent them away but I can imagine that they will be back, " Alice said to the woman.

" Thank you Alice, I will take care of it from here, " Allegra says. " Marisol, would you round up the girls? We have guests. "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" I don't understand. That was Alice. Why didn't she recognize me? What's she doing that for? Some kind of sick game? " Emma cries, filled with hurt and confusion.

" No, no. This isn't Alice's fault. But I do think that this Ms. Allegra can help answer our questions, " The Doctor says, looking to Emma.

" Okay, so what do we do now? " Clara asks.

" Don't know. Not yet. I don't like not knowing. But i will. I just need to talk some more, maybe walk around and throw my hands about all funny, " The Doctor says, straightening his bow tie. He steps back and observes the house before him. " We need to get in there somehow. There has got to be a window or back door somewhere that's open.

" Or maybe a front door thats unlocked, " Clara says.

" Yeah that would be nice wouldn't it Clara. But you have to think realistically here, they would just leave-" he responds, interrupted by the sound of the front door creaking open.

She laughs as he frowns.

Together they walk through the door into the eerie house, surrounded by a constant darkness.

" I can't see a thing. I wish we had a torch, " Emma says.

" Oh, one sec. I've got just the thing, " Clara says. She pulls her phone out of her back pocket and turns its flashlight on.

" What is that? " Emma asks, intrigued by the device in her hand.

" A torch, kinda. Doesn't matter, we have light now. Come on, " she responds.

They make their way through the dark house, winding and twisting through the labyrinth of hallways.

" So what do we do once we find this Ms. Allegra? " Clara asks the Doctor. After she gets no response she looks behind her and sees that his previous place was now occupied by darkness.

" Doctor! " she whispers loudly into the dark.

" What do we do now? " Emma asks worriedly.

" Carry on. It will be fine. He likes to wander off when he is needed most. It will be okay, he always comes back with the problem mostly solved, " Clara says, either trying to cheer herself or Emma up.

As the two continue on in a dark silence they start to realize how scared they actually are. When The Doctor was around, it felt safe and certain. There was always a plan and something to do. But now, they were alone, fumbling around in the dark hoping to find something.

They walk through a heavy door into a room with tall windows. Too eager for their returned ability to see, they hadn't noticed the people in the room until they emerged out of the limited shadows on the edges of the room.

Five girls dressed in the same pearl white as Alice approached Clara and Emma. The two went to turn and run out of the room but were welcomed by another group of ghostly girls. They were surrounded with no way out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" Clara look at this! ̈ The Doctor called. " Clara? " He turns around and backtracks his steps, realizing that Clara and Emma were no longer with him. Deciding his discovery was more pressing at the moment, he turned around and headed back. He ducked under a low doorway that led him outside. THe path morphed into steep stairs that ended with a large platform which hovered slightly over an enclosed body of water. A gate separated the water from the ocean. Certainly not to stop the flow of water, the current flowed with ease through the bars. But to stop what? There were no boats near by and nothing could row up the steep incline on the other side. The moon shone brightly against the water, its image blurred by the wind.

The Doctor walked to the end of the platform before him and observed the water. He frowned.

He pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and scanned the water with the device. He frowned again. He crouched down to observe the water closer.

" That's just not possible. You aren't supposed to be here, " he says to the water.

" Neither are you, " says a woman from behind.

The Doctor jumps up and spins around to see who had arrived.

" Ah you must be Ms. Allegra. I've heard so much about you. It's a pleasure, " he says.

" Quite right, " she responds. She walks slowly down the steps, her head held high with a stiff posture.

" Are you aware of what is in your canal, " the Doctor asks, eging for an answer. He steps to her and they meet in the middle of the platform.

" Oh yes, I am. Thank you. But how are you aware of them? Simple humans couldn't perceive them, " she responds. Her tall, thin frame towers slightly over him.

" Well I'm not human, " he says with a small smile.

" Then who are you? " she asks.

" I'm the Doctor, " he responds. " And ive met your kind before. Only once though. A long long time ago. But from what I recall, the Kraylor aren't too big on travelling. So why are you here, millions and millions of miles away from Madreleon? Taking up a new hobby of tourism?

She looks at him, puzzled. After a moment or two, she responds. " I am intrigued by your knowledge, Doctor, so I will tell you our story. Our planet fell under siege when the war between the Atraxi and the Paloni reached our borders. Nearly all of us were killed from the fired of their weapons. I am the leader so it was my duty to preserve my kind. So we boarded a ship and fled. I set our coordinates to a planet that matched our own.

But when we arrived, the planet was already inhabited by humans. We are not a violent species unless need be, so we saw no purpose in conquering this planet as our own home had been. So we settled for the oceans here. Unseen, unproblematic. They don't even know were here.

But there was an issue. My species will die, even if we have a place to settle or not. I was the only female who survived the trip. In this canal there are only men, twenty to be precise. We are so few in numbers.

So I used my ability to adapt. I donned the appearance of a human and I set out into their world. There are so many of them, they won't miss a few here or there. "

" you've been converting them, " The Doctor interjects.

" Yes, isn't it brilliant. A few worthless humans changed forever into the martyrs of the Kraylors. Paving a path for a new generation of life. " she says.

" I sympathize with your situation, I do. I know how hard it is to lose your home and your people. And you're plan is brilliant, might I add. But youre wrong. These people aren't worthless or expendable, " he says, his jaw tight with anger.

" But surely- " she starts.

" You need to leave. I have no quarrels against you right now because I understand your situation but I cannot allow you to continue. I can help you relocate somewhere uninhabited. You cannot remain here, ̈ he says.

" Oh but I can Doctor. And I will. We are happy here. And we will stay, no matter what. " she responds, anger rising in her voice.

" Leave of our own accord or be removed by mine. That is your choice, " the doctor says, attempting to keep his voice calm and level.

" You know my answer Doctor. And besides, why would I leave when I've got my final two puzzle pieces put in place? "

" Final two? " The Doctor asks. " Clara! " he shouts with realization. He pushes his way past Allegra before she has the chance to stop him and sprints to the interior of the castle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clara opens her eyes to a dark room once again. A small window on the upper portion of the wall allowed some scattered moonlight into the room, enabling Clara to see. She goes to stand but is stopped by two chains clamped around her wrists. She grunts in frustration.

She scans the room and notices Emma still on the floor next to her. She crouched down to examine her closer and after seeing that she was okay, she paused for a moment, wondering what to do next. Finally she starts rummaging through her pockets as though she suddenly remembered something.

"Ah! Here it is, " she exclaims, pulling a bobby pin out of her pocket. She began working at the lock on the chain around her wrist. After a while it came free. She smiled with joy and started on the other one. Suddenly the chamber door burst open revealing the Doctor. His hair was disheveled and his eyes were frantic.

" Clara! " he says, out of breath. He scrambles over to her enveloping her in a hug. " You're okay! "

" Of course im okay, " she replies. " And look i've already got one of these off, just give me a moment and ill get the other one. "

" Yeah but this is faster, " he says with a smile, pulling out his screwdriver and unlocking it instantly. Clara rolls her eyes in response.

" Clara? " asks Emma, who has finally woken up. " What happened? "

" Not too sure, " she responds, grabbing the sonic on her way over and unlocking her shackles as well. She helps her up and looks to the Doctor.

" So, what now? " Clara asks.

" Well I found out what has been happening to everyone. They've been changed into kraylor, " he explains.

" So aliens then? " Clara asks.

" Aliens? " Emma repeats.

" Yep. And she had a very good plan on how to live here without interfering. A very good plan indeed. But then I called it stupid becuase she was rude and now shes mad and is probably going to try and kill everyone or something. " he says.

" Right, " Clara responds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The group made their way out of the estate and back to the Tardis to regroup. Once they arrived, The Doctor unlocked the doors and he and Clara walked in. Emma however, remained frozen outside. She stared into the interior, completely taken aback. She stepped back to examine the box as a whole. Then to the left. And then the right. She looked in the box and then stepped back once more. Slowly, she walked around the box in order to see the back. Once she reached the front again she walked inside, she stood in silence for a bit and watched Clara and the Doctor in their natural habitat. Clara noticed she had entered the Tardis and walked over to close the door behind her.

" It's bigger on the inside, " Emma says, looking to Clara. She laughs in response and grabs her hand, leading her to the console.

" So, " the Doctor says, " lots of fish people now intent on taking over need to be removed, they don't want to go but they have to, and they can't change the people they've converted back to humans. "

" Okay, so what do we do? " Clara asks.

Without responding, he runs off to a staircase and disappears down below. He runs down the stairs into his storage room below the console. There, boxes and containers were piled up around the room haphazardly. Immediately he started rummaging through them with intent.

" Aha, there you are! " he exclaims after a couple of minutes. He grabs a device out of the box and piles it up in his arms then runs back up the stairs.

Once back in the console room, he hands half of his pile to Clara and the other half to Emma. He runs across the room and grabs a pen and paper. On the paper he sketches the layout of the estate, mainly focusing on the gated canal that leads to the ocean.

" Okay so, you two need to go here and place these things -- " he grabs one of the devices out of Clara's hand, " -- around the perimeter of the gated canal-- he goes back to the paper and circles four parts around the intended area, " -- here.

" What are these? " Clara asks.

" These are long range teleports. I got them from the imperial shipping district a long time ago. Place the four transmitters around the thing you are transporting and get the emitter, this thing here--" he grabs a large remote looking object, "--and set the coordinates to where you are teleporting the thing. And press the big red button, " he says.

" Okay, so while we place these things around, what will you be doing? " Clara asks.

" I will be luring Allegra and her creepy minions to the canal. Once they get there, I will press the big red button and the will be relocated to the uninhabited planet of Vos Dosi 9, " he responds.

" But won't we get teleported too? " she asks.

" We just have to be outside of the perimeter thats set up. You two should be fine, you will be on the outside of the estate when I press the button and Ill figure out my part when it comes to that," he responds.

" Right, " she says.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the estate, Emma and Clara slipped around to the back to set the plan in motion. Meanwhile the Doctor walked straight through the front door, right to the throne. He pushed the big doors open to reveal an empty room, except the throne of course. Satisfied, he walked to the end of the room and sat in the chair, waiting.

After a while those big doors opened once more, Allegra emerging through with an army of white clad women behind her.

" Back again so soon? " she says coldly.

" Oh you know me, can't resist, " he responds. He stands up and steps away from the throne. ̈ But, neither can you. " He turns and runs out of a small door behind the throne, deep into the interior of the house.

" Follow him, " Allegra commands.

The Doctor swiftly navigates his way through the castle, closely followed by the women. He runs through the doorway that leads to the canal. Once outside, he quickly observers the area. He decidedly climbs the wall next to the doorway, positioning himself out of sight above the frame. He looks over the outer fence to see Clara and Emma crouched down on the outside. He smiled to them and they gave him a thumbs up in response.

Seconds later, Allegra and the girls emerged from the house, filling out onto the platform.

" Im sorry it has to come to this, " the Doctor says from above. Allegra spins around to face him.

" What are you talking about? " she responds in a cocky tone. The male Kraylor rise out of the water threateningly.

The Doctor smiles and presses the button.

" No! " Allegra shouts upon realization.

The transmitters began to glow, illuminating the whole area. And then the Kraylor vanished.

" Is it over? " Emma calls from beyond the fence.

" Yeah, we did it! " the Doctor responds excitedly. He jumps down from the wall and runs to the front of the house, meeting Emma and Clara there.

Together they walk back to the Tardis.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" Thank you for your help Emma. Without you we may have never been able to get rid of the Kraylor. If there's ever anything you need or anything I can do for you, " the Doctor says once back at the Tardis.

" Actually, yes there is something. I've lost all my friends and i'm the only one who knows what's happened to them. How can I live here knowing what I know, or be able to move on? I want to see the stars Doctor, like you and Clara. I want to see what's out there for myself, " she says.

" I have just the thing, " he says. He pulls a thick bracelet out of his pocket. " This here is a vortex manipulator. I've tinkered with it a bit so all you have to do is tell it where you want to go and allons y, " he says.

They say their goodbyes and Emma heads back to her home. Together the Doctor and Clara walk into the Tardis.

" So, where to next? " Clara asks with a laugh.


End file.
